Jackson v. Am. Bulk Commodities, Inc.

112 N.E.3d 345, 2018 Ohio 3706
CourtCourt of Appeals of Ohio, Fourth District, Washington County
DecidedAugust 31, 2018
DocketNo. 17CA33
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 112 N.E.3d 345 (Jackson v. Am. Bulk Commodities, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Ohio, Fourth District, Washington County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jackson v. Am. Bulk Commodities, Inc., 112 N.E.3d 345, 2018 Ohio 3706 (Ohio Super. Ct. 2018).

Opinion

McFarland, J.

*347{¶ 1} Janice M. Jackson appeals from the Washington County Common Pleas Court's dismissal of her complaint, which was filed as part of an appeal from an adverse ruling by the Industrial Commission, with regard to her workers' compensation claim. Currently on appeal to this Court, Appellant contends that the trial court erred in directing that her complaint be dismissed upon the basis that it was not timely filed. Because we conclude the trial court abused its discretion in dismissing Appellant's timely-filed complaint after her workers' compensation appeal had been properly re-filed pursuant to R.C. 2305.19, Ohio's savings statute, Appellant's sole assignment of error is sustained. Accordingly, the decision of the trial court is reversed and this matter is remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

FACTS

{¶ 2} Appellant, Janice Jackson, claims she sustained an on-the-job injury while employed by Appellee, American Bulk Commodities, Inc. (hereinafter "ABC"), on November 22, 2015. More specifically, she claims that while bending down and leaning forward to hook up a blower hose to a trailer and to open a valve, she experienced a sharp onset of pain in her lower back. She claims this incident resulted in several injuries, including a sacroiliac sprain, a right paracentral disc herniation at L5-S1, and a substantial aggravation of pre-existing L5-S1 discopathy. After an Industrial Commission hearing held on February 18, 2016, a District Hearing Officer entered an order allowing Appellant's claims for right sacroiliac sprain and right L5-S1 paracentral disc protrusion, and disallowing her claim for substantial aggravation of pre-existing L5-S1 discopathy.

{¶ 3} The employer, Appellee ABC, appealed the decision of the District Hearing Officer and as a result another Industrial Commission Hearing was held on April 13, 2016. On May 6, 2016, a Staff Hearing Officer issued an order vacating the decision of the District Hearing Officer and disallowing Appellant's claim in its entirety. Appellant appealed that decision but an order was issued refusing to hear her appeal. Appellant then requested reconsideration of the decision on June 1, 2016. However, her request was denied on June 9, 2016.

{¶ 4} Subsequently, on June 30, 2016, Appellant filed a timely notice of appeal of the decision by the Industrial Commission in the Washington County Court of Common Pleas, identified as case number 16WC177. Forty-two days later, on August 11, 2016, Appellant filed her complaint, or petition. On August 22, 2016, Appellee ABC filed a motion to dismiss, asking the trial court to dismiss Appellant's appeal because her complaint was not filed within thirty days, as required by R.C. 4123.512. At that juncture, Appellant elected to file a voluntarily notice of dismissal without prejudice under Civ.R. 41(A)(1), reserving the right to refile within one year, pursuant to R.C. 2309.19, Ohio's saving's statute.

{¶ 5} Thereafter, on June 5, 2017, Appellant filed two documents. The first document was entitled "Refiled Notice of Appeal" and was given a new case number, 17WC126. The second document was entitled "Refiled Complaint" and was filed under case number 17WC126 as well. Appellee ABC again filed a motion to dismiss, *348arguing that "[t]he voluntary dismissal of the original case, 16WC177, and later refiling of the same case, 17WC126, does not cure the untimeliness of the filing of the Petition/Complaint in the original case." Appellant filed a memorandum contra to the motion to dismiss, arguing that "[s]ince the Refiled Notice of Appeal and Complaint were simultaneously filed on June 5, 2017, it cannot be said that the Complaint submitted in the refiled action was untimely and that dismissal is warranted."

{¶ 6} Appellee ABC thereafter filed a reply brief in support of its motion to dismiss, arguing that 1) Appellant dismissed only her complaint and not her entire appeal; 2) there is no authority which provides that an appellant may voluntarily dismiss an appeal under Civ.R. 41(A)(1) or R.C. 4123.512 ; 3) even if Ohio law allowed such a dismissal, because R.C. 4123.512 requires that an appeal be filed within sixty days after the date of the receipt of the Industrial Commission decision, and because the refiled notice of appeal was not filed until June 5, 2017, it was untimely; and 4) there is no legal authority that supports the proposition that R.C. 2305.19 can be used to give a party an additional year to refile a second notice of appeal in a workers' compensation lawsuit.

{¶ 7} In response, Appellant filed a reply memorandum stating that her voluntary dismissal only served to dismiss her complaint, and not her appeal. She argued, however, that because her refiled notice of appeal and complaint were presented to the court "simultaneously," there was no valid basis upon which to dismiss her refiled case. The trial court ultimately issued a judgment entry on September 22, 2017, granting Appellee's motion to dismiss and dismissing Appellant's refiled complaint. It is from this judgment entry that Appellant now brings her timely appeal, setting forth one assignment of error for our review.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR

"I. PLAINTIFF-APPELLANT ALLEGES THAT THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN DIRECTING THAT HER COMPLAINT FILED IN CASE NUMBER 17WC126 BE DISMISSED UPON THE BASIS THAT IT WAS NOT TIMELY FILED."

STANDARD OF REVIEW

{¶ 8} Civ.R. 41(B)(1) provides that where a plaintiff fails to prosecute an action, the court upon motion of a defendant may, after notice to the plaintiff's counsel, dismiss the action. The power of a court to dismiss an action for a plaintiff's failure to prosecute is vested in the sound discretion of the trial court and appellate review is confined solely to determining whether the trial court abused that discretion. Akers v. Johnson Controls, Inc. , 4th Dist. Highland No. 96CA900, 1997 WL 360569, *4 (June 27, 1997) ; citing Pembaur v. Leis , 1 Ohio St.3d 89, 91, 437 N.E.2d 1199 (1982). As further explained in Akers , Civ.R. 41(B)(1) provides a proper mechanism for the dismissal of a workers' compensation appeal because it is the claimant's burden of proving his or her entitlement to participate in the workers' compensation fund. Akers at *4 ; citing Zuljevic v. Midland-Ross Corp. , 62 Ohio St.2d 116, 118-119, 403 N.E.2d 986 (1980) ; see, also , French v. Sysco Food Serv. of Cleveland , 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 69688, 1996 WL 257486 (May 16, 1996).

{¶ 9} " 'A trial court abuses its discretion when it makes a decision that is unreasonable, unconscionable, or arbitrary.' " Wootten v. Culp

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Bluebook (online)
112 N.E.3d 345, 2018 Ohio 3706, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jackson-v-am-bulk-commodities-inc-ohctapp4washing-2018.